Maisel to discuss electoral process reform

October 31, 2007

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LEWISBURG, Pa. — L. Sandy Maisel will give the talk, "Reforming the Electoral Process: A Look at the Impact of Recent Efforts," Thursday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. in the Trout Auditorium of the Vaughan Literature Building at Bucknell University.

The talk, which is open to the public, is sponsored by the political science department at Bucknell.

Maisel is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Government, and director of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at Colby College.

Democratic party activist

A former candidate for Congress and a Democratic party activist, he is the author of several books including From Obscurity to Oblivion: Running in the Congressional Primary; Parties and Elections in America: The Electoral Process; Two Parties -- Or More? The American Party System with John Bibby; and the most recent, American Political Parties and Elections: A Very Short Introduction, part of Oxford University Press's Very Short Introduction Series; and Evaluating Campaign Quality: Can the Electoral Process Be Improved? with Darrell West and Brett Clifton.

U.S. Rep. David Price said, "Sandy Maisel's Parties and Elections in America draws on the author's active political involvement, the lessons he has learned as an effective teacher, and his comprehensive knowledge of political science research. The result is a text that is not only authoritative but also engaging, introducing students to the excitement and challenge of politics."

Editor and author

Maisel also is the editor of The Parties Respond: Changes in American Parties and Campaigns; the general editor of Jews in American Politics and Political Parties and Elections in the United States: An Encyclopedia; and editor for the new On Politics series.

Maisel is the recipient of two recent grants. The first examines congressional candidate emergence and, more specifically, why the most qualified potential candidates often choose not to run for Congress. This project, which has involved surveys in each of the last three congressional election cycles, has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

The second grant, from the Pew Charitable Trusts, involves an examination of the impact of various efforts to improve the quality of the electoral process.

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